I came not to judge the
world, but to save the world.
John 12:4
This is a great old Reformation hymn given us by the Lutherans and was composed
during the early dawn of the Reformation as the fires of martyrdom were
akindling. Certainly, if the venerable John Wycliffe was the Morning Star of
the Reformation, Martin Luther and those of his era and trust represented the
early rays of sunlight bursting forth in efflorescence on the horizon of
Continental Europe. This hymn appears in the Lutheran Service Book as #333, and
in the 1982 Hymnal of the Episcopal Church - USA as #53. Regrettably, The
Episcopal Church could not bear the hard truth of the second verse and,
therefore, changed it to a softer meaning; but the original is Scriptural and
the change by the Episcopal Church is not (but politically correct). We will
examine both renditions in the course of the devotion. I owe the wonderful
experience to review this hymn to the suggestion of Mr. Walt Aardsma.
There was, for a time, some question about the author's name; but this question
has been resolved. The author's name was Johann Roh. " Johann Cornu,
Johann Horn Roh. Johann, was a native of Domascbitz near Leitmeritz, in
Bohemia. Roh was his name in Bohemian, but when he wrote in Latin he styled
himself Cornu, and in German Horn." (Hymnary.org) Roh wrote the lyrics to this
ADVENT hymn in 1544 - a point at which the Lutheran Church was robust and the
English Reformation was in its infancy. Music "Gottes Sohn ist Kommen"
composed by Michael Weisse, 1531.
The excellent English translation is by Catherine Winkworth and she is "the
most gifted translator of any foreign sacred lyrics into our tongue, after Dr.
Neale and John Wesley; and in practical services rendered, taking quality with
quantity, the first of those who have laboured upon German hymns. Our knowledge
of them is due to her more largely than to any or all other translators; and by
her two series of Lyra Germanica, her Chorale Book, and her Christian Singers
of Germany, she has laid all English-speaking Christians under lasting
obligation." --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, MA, 1872
Once He Came in Blessing
For Advent
Once He came in blessing,
All our ills redressing;
Came in likeness lowly,
Son of God most holy;
Bore the cross to save us,
Hope and freedom gave us.
Still He comes within us,
Still His voice would win us
From the sins that hurt us;
Would to Truth convert us
From our foolish errors
Ere He comes in terrors.
NB - The 1982 Episcopal Hymnal changes the last two lines of
this verse thusly:
(not in torment hold us,
but in love enfold us.)
Thus, if thou hast known Him,
Not ashamed to own Him,
Nor dost love Him coldly,
But wilt trust Him boldly
He will now1 receive thee,
Heal thee, and forgive thee.
But through many a trial,
Deepest self-denial,
Long and brave endurance,
Must thou win assurance
That His own He makes thee,
And no more forsakes thee.
He who thus endureth
Bright reward secureth;
Come, then, O Lord Jesus,
From our sins release us;
Let us here confess Thee
Till in heaven we bless Thee.
Once He came in blessing, All our ills redressing; Came in likeness
lowly, Son of God most holy; Bore the cross to save us, Hope and freedom gave
us. The first stanza describes our Lord's purpose in His first
ADVENT as a baby, laid in a manger, in a stables in Bethlehem. He came
subsequent to an abundance of Godly prophecies whose voice is echoed from Eden
until Malachi. On the Eve of His birth, there was no room found in lowly
Bethlehem for this Holy Child. He made His bed in a rough-hewn, wooden manger (perhaps
the same nature of wood upon which He would be crucified thirty-three years
later). His first bedroom was a stable among the beasts of the field. You and
I, without His Coming, are no better than those beasts of the field, and maybe
of far less virtue. He bore the cross that He passes on to us. Each of us who
follow Christ must follow Him in love, in good works, in teaching, in
sacrifice, in bearing our crosses daily, in death - but also in RESURRECTION!
There is a popular bumper sticker which avers, Only two have died for you -
Jesus Christ died for your soul; the American Soldier died for your FREEDOM!
Well, that is a catchy little motto, but it is totally wrong, for without
Christ, there is no freedom and liberty! The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon
me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he
hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. (Isaiah
61:1) There is not
a single reader of this devotion, or believer past, present, or future, who has
not been set free by the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Still He comes within us, Still His voice would win us From the sins that
hurt us; Would to Truth convert us From our foolish errors Ere He comes in
terrors. If
we are truly the Temple of the Living God, there must have been a point in time
at which the Lord Jesus came into our hearts. Jesus not only comes to us, we
must also hear and heed His Voice to come unto Him. Being converted to Truth
does not mean simply KNOWING the truth (evidence the flood of evangelical
imposters on TV) - it means devouring the Truth, digesting the Truth, and
making the Truth a part of your soul's constitution. Sin is, indeed, foolishness.
Why would any sensible person sell out his eternal soul for a bowl of red
porridge as did Esau? The very last line of this stanza relates to the Second
Advent of Christ when He comes to execute judgment. The pallid and compromising
modern Episcopal church cannot brook this hard doctrine, so, like the Bible
itself, they CHANGE its meaning to not in torment hold us, but in love
enfold us. One who is being tormented is not necessarily
foolish and sinful - to ECUSA, perhaps God is unfairly tormenting them. Instead
of the dreaded return of Christ to judge (by the licentious sinners), Ere
He Comes in Terrors becomes to the Episcopal Church, but in love
enfold us. If they can engineer away the meaning of the Bible itself,
they feel free to change ancient hymns to suit their filthy lifestyles.
Thus, if thou hast known Him, Not ashamed to own Him, Nor dost love Him
coldly, But wilt trust Him boldly He will now receive thee, Heal thee, and
forgive thee. To truly KNOW Christ once is to know and love Him
eternally! The love of God is the progenitor of all love - our love is simply
an echo of His love. Had He not loved us first, we could never return (echo)
love. We love him, because he first loved us. (1
John 4:19) There is
no such thing a cold love - love is warm and even hot. It takes courage to have
faith in the unseen. The Christian is no wimp, but a strongly constituted man
or woman of strong back-bone. That faith is not native to the human spirit, but
an act of grace of the Holy Spirit!
But through many a trial, Deepest self-denial, Long and brave endurance,
Must thou win assurance
That His own He makes thee, And no more forsakes thee.
We are all commissioned in the Army of God. We are - men, women, and children -
soldiers of Christ. The soldier endures hardships and deprivation that those
who lack the courage of battle are not privileged to undergo. Not only
does the Soldier of Christ bear the battle in courage, he does so, as well,
with the full knowledge that his battle is not time-limited, but long and for
the duration of Satan's hostilities. Read the thoughts of the great man of God,
Matthew Henry, on the matter: This fitly follows upon denying ourselves; for
he that will not deny himself the pleasures of sin, and the advantages of this
world for Christ, when it comes to the push, will never have the heart to take
up his cross. 'He that cannot take up the resolution to live a saint, has a
demonstration within himself, that he is never likely to die a martyr.' so
Archbishop Tillotson. Matthew Henry. We do not make ourselves His people
but, rather, He chooses whom He will and makes them His own.
He who thus endureth Bright reward secureth; Come, then, O Lord Jesus,
From our sins release us; Let us here confess Thee Till in heaven we bless Thee.
Please observe how carefully great hymns of the faith follow precisely the Word
of God and reinforce biblical doctrine! Endurance is one of the basic
characteristics of a good and faithful soldier. He gains that endurance through
the basic training of Bible Study, preaching, fellowship, Communion,
self-denial, hardships, and labors of love. Our Lord's first Advent was to make
salvation available and to seal that salvation for those who are His Elect. He
releases us from our sins as we repent and confess those sins. It is not a
one-time experience, but the Mercy Seat is made available to each believer that
he may come to Christ in confession and once more erase the distance that
divides him from the will of God. The qualifying seal of election in Christ is
measured by this standard: And ye shall be
hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be
saved. (Matt 10:22) Are you?
